Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) Receives $259.35 Consensus Target Price from Brokerages

Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP - Get Free Report) has received a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the twenty research firms that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, eleven have given a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $259.35.

Several brokerages have issued reports on UNP. Benchmark reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $266.00 price target on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Friday, October 25th. Susquehanna lowered their price objective on Union Pacific from $260.00 to $255.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on Union Pacific from $262.00 to $253.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Barclays increased their price objective on Union Pacific from $275.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reduced their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $277.00 to $272.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:UNP traded up $12.03 on Thursday, hitting $247.83. 5,226,149 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,717,506. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.79, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a current ratio of 0.77. The company's 50 day moving average price is $233.54 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $239.16. Union Pacific has a one year low of $218.55 and a one year high of $258.66. The firm has a market capitalization of $150.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.76, a PEG ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 1.06.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.91 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.76 by $0.15. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 41.79% and a net margin of 27.33%. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.71 earnings per share. Research analysts expect that Union Pacific will post 10.96 earnings per share for the current year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 30th. Investors of record on Monday, December 9th were given a dividend of $1.34 per share. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.16%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 9th. Union Pacific's dividend payout ratio is 49.22%.

Institutional Trading of Union Pacific

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Alley Investment Management Company LLC boosted its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 0.6% during the second quarter. Alley Investment Management Company LLC now owns 76,245 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $17,251,000 after purchasing an additional 484 shares in the last quarter. AXA S.A. raised its holdings in Union Pacific by 16.1% in the 2nd quarter. AXA S.A. now owns 616,689 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $139,532,000 after buying an additional 85,734 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Union Pacific by 49.3% during the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 179,962 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $40,653,000 after buying an additional 59,418 shares during the period. APG Asset Management N.V. grew its holdings in Union Pacific by 23.4% during the 2nd quarter. APG Asset Management N.V. now owns 350,945 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $74,089,000 after acquiring an additional 66,650 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased its position in Union Pacific by 1.3% in the 2nd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 8,312,154 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $1,880,701,000 after acquiring an additional 106,996 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.38% of the company's stock.

About Union Pacific

Union Pacific Corporation, through its subsidiary, Union Pacific Railroad Company, operates in the railroad business in the United States. The company offers transportation services for grain and grain products, fertilizers, food and refrigerated products, and coal and renewables to grain processors, animal feeders, ethanol producers, renewable biofuel producers, and other agricultural users; and construction products, industrial chemicals, plastics, forest products, specialized products, metals and ores, petroleum, liquid petroleum gases, soda ash, and sand, as well as finished automobiles, automotive parts, and merchandise in intermodal containers.